The Final Promise

How are we to treat others who falter and fail both God and us along the way? Grace. How are you going to bear up through every challenge and every valley you face? Grace. How do you expect to escape the horrors of the wrath of God which will come? Grace.

How do you dare to lay claim to the promises of the glory of heaven and co-regency with Christ? One word. Grace.

So distribute it. Grace is something given to the undeserving. That's why it's called grace.

Grace. That's the word that best sums up the whole message of scripture, isn't it? And that's the word John uses to close his divinely inspired revelation. After spending 22 chapters sharing with us his apocalyptic visions and indescribable prophecies of the future, he leaves us with a promise for the present. God's grace is with us.

That statement is just as true today as it was when John first wrote it down. Today on Wisdom for the Heart, Stephen Davey takes us to the end of the Bible and the final verse in the book of Revelation. In his book on heaven, Stephen Lawson told the story of a Philadelphia law firm who sent a beautiful floral arrangement to associates who were opening a new office suite in Baltimore. When the flowers arrived, there had been a mix up with the florist and the card said, our deepest sympathy.

When the florist was called and asked about the mistake, he said, oh my, I've mixed up the arrangement, which means the flowers that went to the funeral home say congratulations on your new location. Now for Christians that's not bad theology, is it? That's not bad theology at all. Death is the doorway to a new location and what a location. The glory of God, sinless perfection in the eternal state, a glorified body undiluted, joy uninterrupted, worship and where would you go to learn about the glories of heaven? Where would you go as a church to rediscover your mission on earth? Where would you go to study in unraveling the mysteries of God's prophecies? Where can you see a description of God's amazing awesome throne in heaven and the terror of his wrath poured out upon the earth? What book would you read that justifies the final judgment of the unredeemed and the pleasure of all those who are redeemed? Where do you hear an invitation over and over again to those who are unredeemed to come, to come and drink from this gospel of salvation and where would you go to learn that you could ever dare to believe that if you have taken that drink of the gospel you will co-reign with Christ one day? Where do you watch the progression of nations and the revival of a reconstituted nation Israel? Where do you go to learn of a new universe, a new heaven, a new earth where orchards grow beside a river of water flowing down avenues of gold? Where do you go to see the final culmination of God's promises and watch time morph into eternity?

Anybody have a guess? Revelation would be a great place, I think. You've been half awake. I want to see the Isaiah guy after church, okay? Revelation, in fact today we come to the end of this study. The Revelation of John paralleled, explained, completed the prophecies of Daniel, prime minister of Babylon and prophet of God. The apostle John had a different setting, didn't he, from Daniel? John is exiled on the island Patmos, an island used as a quarry mine by the Roman Empire, a penal colony where hardened criminals and enemies of the state ran the mines. Daniel, the prime minister of Babylon, would deliver his prophecies from the royal palaces of the kingdom, the greatest kingdom on earth at the time, and John would deliver his final prophecies, the final prophecies of God from the obscurity and the austerity of a rocky island surrounded by the Aegean Sea. Isn't it ironic that the final prophecies of Christ's triumph over the nations of the world would be delivered by an exiled apostle living in a cave on a forgotten island?

You can't help but miss the irony. John is effectively saying here that the cause and the glory of God will triumph forever, but it does not look like it. John, you don't look like a winner, you look like a loser. Maybe you should consider switching sides, not on your life. As John moves through his closing statements from Revelation chapter 22, this epilogue has included a final invitation.

We looked at that together. Come and drink of the water of this truth. If you're thirsty, you can come and drink without cost. It's free.

You just have to get in on this while there's time and breath in your lungs. John has included a final warning. Don't tamper with the text. Don't be guilty of addition. Don't be guilty of omission.

It is all or nothing. We do not sit in judgment over this book. This book sits in judgment over us, right?

This is the authority. John writes of that warning in verse 18, look there again in chapter 22, I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book. If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city.

Now, don't misunderstand. It is impossible from the analogy of scripture and other passages, we understand that a believer cannot lose his salvation. In fact, it's impossible to be unborn after having been born again. Just as impossible to be spiritually unborn as it would be for you to be physically unborn. It's impossible to be unjustified after you have been fully justified by Christ. It's impossible to be unseated in Christ for in the mind of God, the genuine believer is even now seated with Christ in the heavenlies. The warning here is for those who take away or add to the Bible is simply a way for them to recognize they were never genuinely saved in the first place. The fact that they were never genuinely saved to begin with will at some point be eventually demonstrated by their disregard of the Word of God and a placement of their own word, their own will, their own way, their own opinion over and above. God says that, but I don't believe that.

Let me tell you what I have to say. See, that person is demonstrating they're unbelievers. So you come to this warning, which effectively allows one to examine himself to see if he's in the faith.

The Bible is, as we learned, an open letter from God to mankind but it is not an open-ended letter for some prophet or some priest, some mystic, some guru, some visionary, some teacher to go beyond the last period of the last verse of the last book in the timeline of God's progressive revelation. John, the last apostle records by the overwhelming presence and direction of the Holy Spirit his word to us. And now, by the way, the Spirit of God, from that point to this point, the Spirit of God speaks to us in agreement with the words of God. It dwells in our hearts richly. The Spirit of God acts as an umpire.

He never speaks in addition to or in subtraction of or from this book. And so we study it, we memorize it, we meditate on it, we speak it, expound it, apply it, we live it. We're no longer asking God to speak for God has spoken.

The Spirit of God takes what is spoken and applies it every day in our lives as we're in it and following it. We've read a final challenge. We've looked at the final invitation. We've heard the final warning. And now we have what I'll call the final promise. Look at verse 20. And he who testifies to these things says, yes, I am coming quickly.

Now don't miss this. This is the last recorded promise from the lips of Jesus Christ. This is the promise he chooses to deliver to us.

I couldn't help but imagine what could he have said? What could the Lord have said as a last promise? This is the last promise you're going to hear. And of all the promises he's given, aren't there wonderful promises?

He chooses this one. He could have restated the promise to see us through our suffering, to carry our burdens, to enable our obedience, to delight in our worship. All those are directly or indirectly given from the lips of Jesus Christ. But this is his choice of a final promise. But doesn't this promise sort of absorb all the rest of them? Don't burdens and suffering and diligence and obedience and worship find their final meaning in his coming? Isn't that the exclamation point to all we believe?

It's true, isn't it? Your obedience, your diligence, your mission, your suffering all find hope and comfort in his soon coming. As the lyricist wrote, one glimpse of his dear face, all sorrow will erase.

One glimpse, all sorrows erased. So bravely run the race till we see Christ. Here at the very end of the Bible, the Lord wants to speak one more time from his own lips to us directly as it were. These are all the words of God. This unique promise though is quoted from him one more time and when he does, he reminds us of this, I'm coming soon. Now the Lord delivered this promise three times in this epilogue.

You notice in verse seven, you might underline it and draw a circle around that text. Behold, I'm coming quickly. Up to verse 12, again, there it is. Behold, I am coming quickly. And now in verse 20, the final promise, yes, I am coming quickly.

Three times. You quickly catch on to the fact that he wants us to catch on to this fact, right? He doesn't repeat himself three times because he wants to make it to verse 21. He really wants 21 verses as they finally catalogued them later on in church history and so he repeats himself.

No. He hasn't run out of things to say. You get the impression that he wants to impress on our minds this truth. I am coming soon. Everything you've learned, everything you've read, everything you've studied, it's all summarized in the grand truth. I am coming and I'm coming soon. His coming is in stages. With the analogy of scripture, you discover that he's going to come for his church and rapture her away, 1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Corinthians 15. He's then going to come sometime later with his bride to set up the kingdom, Revelation chapter 20. He will then come again with all of the redeemed of all time as John sees the city of God descending.

Here he comes again as it were, this time permanently descending and resting upon a newly created earth. What he's saying here is that is effectively going to happen before you know it. In the light of eternity, it's really going to happen quickly. We're thinking this has been a long time.

No. In fact, when the Lord delivers this final promise in Revelation chapter 22 verse 20, he actually uses the present tense. Grammarians call this a prophetic present as if to say, I am already on my way. I love that. I'm already on my way.

It is so guaranteed it will happen. I'm already coming. You'll notice this third and final time the Lord says I'm coming quickly. He began by saying, there's a new word there. Do you notice?

Yes. You could render it indeed, truly. The next event in the parousia of Christ, the coming of Christ is the rapture of the church and it is so certain that Jesus Christ says I'm already on the move. The coming of Christ's kingdom literally to earth where we with him reign for a thousand years is so certain that Jesus Christ speaks with the certainty of the present tense. That kingdom is on its way.

The coming of heaven, the glorious city of God to this newly created planet earth where it will rest upon it for the eternal state is so guaranteed by God that God says I am already on my way. See, the question is, friend, are you ready? Are you as ready as he is? Would you have to use a future tense? I think I will be ready one day.

Or could you say, I used to be ready, but I'd be embarrassed if he came for his bride today. Jesus says I'm coming quickly. I love what John says next in verse 20. Amen. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Jesus says I'm coming and John says Amen.

The word Amen is a transliteration of a Hebrew participle that simply means or translated means so be it. So be it. I believe it. It's going to happen. I agree with you.

It indicates agreement with what the speaker has just spoken. Jesus Christ says I'm coming quickly and John says I agree. Let it be. Come on.

Effectively is what he's saying. I believe it. Amen. I hope your spirit says it more often than yours. In fact, I hope you live in an Amen state of mind.

Saying and living with an agreement. Amen, Lord. I believe your word is true. I'm going to live that way. Amen, Lord. It's the truth. Amen.

Count me in on whatever you've delivered. Jesus Christ delivers this final promise to an old apostle writing in a makeshift cave. Living in severe conditions while in exile. He's away from his family.

He's away from his friends. This aged pastor is away from his flock and Jesus comes to the end of his revelation to John and he says look, John, it's just about over and I want you to know that I'm on my way. And John says amen to that. Then come on. See, what you have here is you have not only the final promise of Christ, you have the final prayer of a Christian.

Look again. Jesus who testifies to these things, speaking of Christ, says yes, I am coming quickly. John says amen and then hears his prayer. Come, Lord Jesus. The last recorded prayer from a believer's lips in scripture is well, then come on.

Come on. The words come, Lord, in the Aramaic language are the words maranatha, our Lord come. You squeeze those words together and you get what we typically pronounce as maranatha. Scholars of the scriptures believe and of church history believe this is the oldest creedal prayer in existence. In other words, the church that would get the letters would follow the example of John the apostle and they would often then pray come, Lord Jesus.

Maranatha. Would you expect John to reply any other way? I mean, here's this aged apostle, 91, maybe 92 years of age. He's weather beaten. He's war torn.

He's in exile by the Roman emperor. He's just seen the end of the age. He's just seen the glory of God's throne. He's just seen the beauty of heaven and there in that cave his automatic response is, then come on, Lord.

Let's go. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians with the same idea. He expected it to bring anticipation. He said, look, the Lord is going to come as he described the rapturing away, the taking away, raptura in the Latin translation of the church. And he ends that passage by saying now, you assemblies, you wait for that comfort one another with these words.

Comfort one another with these words. Having a positive anticipation of the coming of the Lord has a lot to do with how we're living, doesn't it? It has a lot to do with our obedience.

We're not going to go with him because we've been obedient. We're going because we've been saved and forgiven. But his coming, what would it bring to our hearts? Why would Jonathan Edwards write as one of his resolutions resolve to never live in such a way as to be embarrassed should the Lord appear at any moment? See, the way we live has a lot to do with our anticipation of his coming. John writes in his letter, Beloved, now we are children of God and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him just as he is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on him purifies himself just as he is pure. Godly anticipation influences godly activity and godly activity develops even greater godly anticipation.

So it's for me as well as you the question, are we as ready as he seems to be? It's one thing to say amen in church. It's another thing to go out there and live in such a way that you can pray, Lord, you can come back any time today because I'm ready for you. One author wrote, that's another way of saying you live every day for his glory as if it's your last. You work hard at your job and in your home and for your church or ministry it's as if it's your last opportunity. You shine the light, you remain balanced, cheerful, winsome.

Why? You live that way only because you're bringing to mind the truth of this book that he is coming and it could be today. See, that's what you would have found there in that rocky bluff of Patmos in the recesses of a cave where on the Lord's Day Sunday John has delivered to him this book we call the book of Revelation. He's writing of things he cannot even imagine. He's seeing things that stun him, that take his breath away and at the end of Revelation without any hesitation John says, okay, let it happen, come Lord Jesus.

Now perhaps you're tempted to say, well what do you expect? He's an apostle. He was personally tutored by the Lord. He walked with Christ.

He was given a tour of heaven for heaven's sake. It's one of the reasons I'm so glad John's book of Revelation doesn't end with his final prayer. It ends with a final pronouncement. Look at verse 21. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.

Amen. See there's a final promise. There's a final prayer. There is this final pronouncement. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.

This is what grammarians call a subjective genitive. You could expand it a little bit to understand it. It's saying this, may the Lord Jesus show all of you his grace. All of you. Not just an apostle trying to make it in a cave. Not just someone tutored by the Lord but you 1900 years later. You know what will make it through for you? The grace of God.

As a believer how do you take one more step in the right direction? Grace. How are we to treat others who falter and fail both God and us along the way? Grace. How are you going to be sufficient to bear up through every challenge and every valley you face? Grace. How do you expect to escape the horrors of the wrath of God which will come? Grace. How do you dare to lay claim to the promises of the glory of heaven and co-regency with Christ?

One word. Grace. John began this book by saying in verse 4 of chapter 1, grace to you and peace.

And now he ends it. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with all. The word all Pantone means everyone reading this book. Both believer and unbeliever. So then in this final pronouncement what you actually have then is an invitation to all those who would hear the reading of this letter in the seven churches that he has mentioned earlier in the book and then from there it would be circulated among the Christian churches and they would affirm that it is in fact indeed the very words of God. There are going to be unbelievers sitting in the assembly just like there are unbelievers in this assembly today in all three hours without any doubt in my mind.

And you are hearing this. He ends this with an invitation. Basically he says listen you accept the gospel of Jesus Christ by grace. You don't deserve forgiveness. You don't work for it. You don't merit it.

You can't earn it. It's grace. God's riches at Christ's expense. It's a wonderful acrostic to define grace.

He's earned it for you. Have you taken a drink of the water of the gospel of Christ? It's offered to you by the grace of God. To the believers he's saying listen you accepted the gospel of Christ by grace.

Just forget that. My parting word to you my pronouncement is live by it. Live it out in the strength of God's grace. Distribute God's grace to those in your world. They don't deserve your grace any more than you deserve God's.

So distribute it. Grace is something given to the undeserving. That's why it's called grace. So his final pronouncement turns our attention to this great word. It isn't just any grace. In fact John pronounces on his worldwide flock. It's the grace.

Notice this. It's the grace of the Lord Jesus. He is both man and sovereign. God eternal. Man the Messiah capable of dying to offer to you by his grace salvation. He is the God of all grace.

Peter wrote in First Peter 5 10. His grace is sufficient. First Corinthians 12 9 for whatever you're going through you are pointed your attention is directed to the grace of God. He is able to make all grace abound to all of you. Second Corinthians chapter 9 verse 8. So no wonder that John's final pronouncement the final blessing from the Spirit of God through this old pastor does nothing more than entrust the church of his generation and every generation including ours into the hands of a gracious God.

Don't forget the grace of our Lord Jesus to which we can only respond with John as we come to the end of this book and with deep thanksgiving in our hearts we can say with him the very last word of this book. And it's the word what. Amen. It's true. So be it.

Let it happen. We agree. And by the daily deposit of the grace of our Lord Jesus in our lives we will be able then to live our lives in the truth and for the glory of our soon coming Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And all the people said. Amen. Every word of the Bible is true and each of God's promises will come to pass. Our response to that is Amen. So be it. The truth of God's word forms the basis of our entire ministry here at Wisdom International. It's our desire to help you live your life in light of the truth. Today's message the final promise concludes Stephen's series called The Last Words. If you missed any of the lessons in the series you'll find them on our website which is wisdomonline.org and join us next time to discover more wisdom for the hearts.